Floor rack



Aug. 19, 1952 J, s, LUNDVALL 2,607,301

ATTORNEY.

Al1g 19, 1952 J. s. LUNDVALL 2,607,301

FLOOR RACK Filed June 1:5, 195o sx-IEETs-SHEE'I 2 2, @I Y l zg 22"/ /JZ if 2.a 2.3 )25 r 1f i D 6 2l o I 7///// 1 o o 25 .2z- El; o 5 2"\ Z7 Q 46 l 725 o a 25 2f) 5 o] i rlllllllllll '4 f I t JNVENTOR:

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1952 Johnv vS, LundvamfPark Ritlgch', .ass-ignorato Union Asbestos `&'.Rubber Company, Chicago, Ill.,acorporationgf'Illinois Y w. i Application June 13, 1950, vSeriaLNo.167,886

sans; wliis-sia? .i 1 f This inventionv relates to iloor racks andY .more

particularly to racks 4for use i n refrigerator cars and the like to support the lading in spaced relationshipto the iioor of .the car. It has Ybeen proposed to useracks formedo-f metal to eliminate the several o'bjectionsto the older types of Wooden racksi Itis necessary, however, to provide lsubstantial strength an-d metal reeks .0f the ,requisite Strenethf-tend-tg Pemef extremely heavy- .It is. also.; desirable ile-.Provide .a,..rack which .can easily berepaired byifeplacement of` damaged slats as required.

. .1t-.is oneof. the Objects-.0i the presente .invention torprovide aiioorracl; formedpf-,sheetmetal in which .the requisite strength isprovidedjwhile maintaininga rack o f.r elatvely lightweight, 5 I t i-sqanother object of .the invention to .p IO.- vide a door rack which the slats are .formed off sheetmetal of. Vinverted channelshape with horizontaleflanges to overlap-non gthe' stringerf arid lwith vertical- 'oiset extensionsgof thc.; side. anges of the channels bent downward from the reianges.A .The offset extensionson adjacent slats a1 e preferably. spaced apart to provide passages for air circulation .and vin -conjunction vwith :the ref langesprovideslats o f maximum strengthgand rigidity with aminirnurn Weight-of materia1; Another object is to provide ajfloorrack rinwhich the stringersare formed by apair of .plates connected back to back and with openings therethrough outlined by outwardly.. extending v flanges and v"with outwardly` extending llanges at their. top andbottom edges. This construction also provides maximum strength with .a minimum weight. of material and in addition provides passages for free air circulation and spaces in which heating` pipes or the like can be mountedadjacent the oor of the car.

A further object is to provide a floorrack in which the slats have overlapping continuous edge portions adjacentthesides of thel car to block air now therethrough .and perforated inwardly from the sides ofv the car for free flo-W of air tlierethrough.l "lheabove and other objects an'dadvant'ages of thejinvention will be more readily apparent whenV read in connection with theacc'ompanying drawingsgin fwliich-l I isY a partial plan View illustratinga doorl rack embodying the invention, mountedin af refrigerator car; Figure 2 ls an end View o f` a rack section Figure 3 isl a partial `section on the line 3-3 of' Figure 2;

Figure 4 is av plan view .of oneof the. slats;

l Figi1res' 5,' 6, and 7 are enlargedsections-on ythelines 5,-5. G-a and 1.-.11., respectively 0f Figure. .4.: l x

- Figure, 8 is V anenlarged section of an end s'lat on the une s s Qf Figure 1; :and l liigurey is a view, similar to .Figure 3.of a fied consti-action ,1

frieerat'r foar whose end wa11;..is irlsiictni.i stili @rally ai :19g-and. Whose .Side .Wall .iS insetdet IL Preferably the .entire-0dr Qf.y the-@LS covered. by raclg sections each of vv /hichextends inwardly from the side -wall of the cartosubj. st antially the car center line. Several such rack sections are required .to cover thecar floor, and

when arranged in the car provide a lading supporting surface` spaced above the car .floor so that air for cooling the lading can circulatefree- 1v around ,it v. ,The racks may also. extend-under ice. compartments. at .the yands of the can or any. other-1:desiredy type of refrigerating means not ShOWIl mly-prollded@ a f .V 1;.. -,f;.

1 .'.Y-Avseewni fisvprgvidedvithe plialitv of stringere idieed generally @n.112 ek.: tending transverselyof the cariromits side wall substantially to; itscenter -,1ine,. Aseries of lslats indicated generally at i3 extendacross andere secured to the stringers to form-a .complete rack section, Eachrack section, is-pivoted adjacent the car .side wall by hinges indicated-at i4 so that it canbe L iivotedy from. itsnormalhorizontal position tof v2li-:vertical position adjacent the-f ca r side Wall for cleaning thefcar As best seen inFi-gures 2 and 3, eachstringer is formed of a pair of metalplates I5 connected back yto back andformed with openings I5 therethrough for free air circulation and'with cut out openings 3H. The .cut out openingsil provide spaces v`through which heating pipesor other .desired equipment may extend adjacent to. the oor of the car 4without 4interference frointhe racks. The plates I5 are formed at their upper- Each .of the slats is formedr of sheet-metal'of ll. g' L.. 1.421. i 3

inverted channel shape. The rst several slats adjacent the side wall of the car are of uniform section throughout and correspond in section to the stringer engaging portions of the remaining slats. as shown in Figure 5. Each of these slats has an imperforate horizontal web portion 2| with vertical side flanges 22 and with horizontal reanges 23.- The slats areassembled on the stringers with the horizontal reiianges overlapping and secured to the stringers by detachable fastenings such as bolts 24. The outermost slat fits closely adjacent to the car side wall substantially to prevent the flow of air therebetween. Thus through registering openings in the flanges 23 yand into the stringers. This construction provides the same rigid metal slat surfaces as Figthe surface of the rack adjacent the side wall a of the car is imperforate so that air cannot cir-i culate therethrough.

'I'he majority of the slats toward-the center fr part of the car are formed, as shown more par;

ticularly in Figures 4 to '1, to provide for 'air cir"- culation. These slats have the horizontal web portion A2lgthe vertical side flanges 22, and the horizontal reanges 23 which rest on the stringers and are secured thereto by detachable fas"- tenings such as bolts 24. Between the stringers the web portions are preferably perforated,v as indicated at 25.- As best seen in `Figure 7; the perforations are surrounded by'annular depressions 26 Vfor stiffness. Additionally the reanges-23 are bent downward Ibetween the stringers, as indicated ats2'l and are connected into the' horizontal reflanges-23 a'bove'- the stringers byy smoothly-'curved skirt portions 28. The bent do'wn portions2l provide oifset continuations of the side anges 22,-and as seen in Figure 1 are spaced-from each other to form air passages between Vthe slats.l Y

With this construction each of the slats is extremely strong and rigid due to the reinforcing effect ofthe relanges 23 between the side flanges 22Y and the offsetv extensions 21. Thus these rei'langesincrease the horizontal strength 'of the slats and also increase the resistance of --the vertical vslat anges to buckling, thereby increasing uresil to8 with Athe same ease of slat replace- Qment.

While two embodiments of the invention have beenshown and described in detail herein, with the stringers transverse of the car and the slats longitudinal, it will be understood that this arthe vertical beam strength of the slats 'I'heree fore the slats can be made vof relatively light she'etmetal and will still provide the requisite strength and rigidity.V r

It will be noted that the reiiangesr23 overlap above the stringers and are formed with registering-openings through which the bolts 24 extend. In this Away the slats are held .properly spaced so that fauniformrack surface is provided and at the same time any slatv which becomes damaged can easily be removed and replaced without disturbing the remainder of the rack. v v The end slats toward the center of the car are formed, as best seen'in Figure 8. At one side these slats have the same outward reilangesV 23 and offset extensions 21 as the remainder of the slats. At the other side these slats have an inwardly turned reange 29 which rests on the end portions ofthe stringers to provide a smooth edge'. Preferably the end flanges are imperforate, as indicated in Figure l. v

With this construction an extremely lightweight rack can be formed which is exceedingly strong and rigid during use. As air circulates around the ladingA any tendency ofthe airr to flow adjacent the side walls of the-car is substantially prevented :by the imperforate rack portion and by the closey tof the outermost slat against the car side Iwall, and the airis deflected inwardly of the car so that it is'compelled to circulate uniformly over the lading.y "In this way rangement might be reversed or that other changes might be made therein." I t will, vtherefore, be understood that theforms shownA are illustrative only and aren notto be takenl afs "a definition of the scope of the invention,V reference being had for thispurpose'to the appended claims.V Y

What -is claimedis: i

1. yA iloor rack for refrigerator cars andthe like comprising a pluralityv of spaced parallel stringers and a series ofl lindividual Vsheet metal slats laid side byside across the stringers'.' each slat being of inverted-channel shape with vdownwardly extending side flanges V-rebent horizontally to dene horizontal reflanges substantially in the top plane of the stringers, the 'rei-langes fov're lapping above thestringers and being secured to each other and to the stringers and beingrebent downward between the stringers'- to define offset continuations'v of the side flangesfthe olf#v set continuations -on adjacent slatsr being spaced apart to provide for" air'circu1ation-betweenthe 2; A floor rack for refrigerator 'cars-'andthe' like comprisinga' plurality" of spaced parallel stringers and a series olf individual-'sheet metal slats laidside by sideacross the stringers; each slat being of inverted channel shape with down-f' wardly extending side ilanges rebenthorizontally todenehorizontal reflanges substantially vin the top plane of the stringers, the vreilanges' overlapping above the stringers 'to lhold the stringers uniformly spaced and having openings therein registering with each other and v'with the stringers,v removable fasteningsf extending through-the openings securing the yslats yto each' other and tothe stringers, the reflanges-being bent downward between the stringers to denne offset continuations ofthe side flangeswhich are spaced apart on adjacent slats to provide for air'circulation between the slats.` I

3,"A floor rack for 'refrigeratorcars andthe' lke'comprising a plurality of vspaced, parallel stringers extending transversely ofthe'carl and a series of slats laid side by side across the stringers and extending longitudinally of the car,V the slats adjacent the side wall of the car having imperforate center portions and being formedw'ith continuous overlapping edgeflanges throughout their lengths to block air flow therebetween. and the slats adjacentthe center part of the car .being spaced between the stringers to provide pas- (References on :following pa'gy I 5 REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the 14713g le of this patent: Zggg UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Number Name Date 2,007,273 Hindahl July 9, 1935 Number 2,107,853 Coffey Feb. 3, 193s 525,708

Name Date Ssson Feb. 14, 1939 Zane Y Dec. 24, 1940 Bonsetll` Sept. 16, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Sept. 3, 1940 

